Microsoft today laid out the groundwork
for what constitutes a "Windows Vista Capable" and "Windows
Vista Premium Ready" PC. The actual final specifications for
Microsoft's next generation operating system have been speculated on
for the past few months, but as we inch closer to the Beta
2 build of Vista, things are starting to become clear.

Vista will run on just about any modern
computer released in the past few years. An 800MHz processor coupled
with 512MB of RAM is the bare minimum for running Vista. You won't
get all of the fancy graphical enhancements and you most likely won't
have a very pleasant experience performance wise either. For me, it's bad
enough running a Windows XP system with a lot of windows open that is "crippled" with
just 512MB of RAM (between Photoshop, FireFox and its memory leaks and the countless other programs I run), so I couldn't imagine limping around on Vista with
only 512MB.

To be qualified as a Vista Premium
Ready PC, a 1GHz x86 or x86-64 processor is required along with at least 1GB
of RAM. In order to run the Aero Glass user interface in all its
glory, you'll need a DirectX 9-class graphics card which supports the
Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM). Microsoft goes further and
stipulates these requirements for running Aero Glass on Vista:

Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware

32 bits per pixel

64 MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor less than 1,310,720 pixels

128 MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor at resolutions from 1,310,720 to 2,304,000 pixels

256 MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor at resolutions higher than 2,304,000 pixels

Representatives from Dell, Gateway,
Lenovo and Toshiba have all made statements in regards to their
overwhelming support for Windows Vista and their steadfast commitment
to delivering Windows Vista Premium Ready PCs to consumers. Here's a
statement from Dell:

“Dell is focused on designing systems
today that will enhance the effectiveness of the features of
Microsoft® Windows Vista tomorrow,” said John Medica, senior
vice president of the Product Group at Dell. “We are working
closely with Microsoft to ensure the best user experience on
currently shipping performance desktops, workstations and notebooks,
and customers can be confident that their high-performance Dell
configuration can make the most of the next-generation capabilities
of Microsoft Windows Vista.”

For consumers who would like to know if
their current system has what it takes to run Windows Vista, you can
go to Microsoft's Windows Vista “Get
Ready” website and run the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor. And also keep in mind that these are Microsoft's minimum
requirements for compliance with Windows Vista. Running a system with
the bare minimum is far from optimum for such a new operating system.
I wouldn't be surprised if a 2.0GHz and 2GB of RAM is the true
“sweet spot" for Vista, as industry insiders have already claimed.

"It's okay. The scenarios aren't that clear. But it's good looking. [Steve Jobs] does good design, and [the iPad] is absolutely a good example of that." -- Bill Gates on the Apple iPad